The International Space Station (ISS) is a joint project of five space agencies: the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (United States), the Russian Federal Space Agency (Russian Federation), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Japan), the Canadian Space Agency (Canada) and the European Space Agency (Europe).

It is serviced primarily by the Soyuz, Progress spacecraft units and possible private missions in near future. The last space shuttle mission that serviced the Space Station ended in July 2011 (Atlantis, STS-135). The ISS is expected to remain in operation until at least 2020, and potentially to 2028.

Hubble Space Telescope

Designation: Hubble Space Telescope

Length: 13.1 m

Perigee: 544.6 km

NORAD ID: 20580

Width: 4.2 m

Apogee: 548.2 km

Category: Astronomical Telescope

Mass: 11,000 kg

Inclination: 28.5°

Period: 95.4 minutes

Launch Date: 24 April 1990 12:33

Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center, United States

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. Although not the first space telescope, Hubble is one of the largest and most versatile, and is well known as both a vital research tool and a public relations boon for astronomy. The HST is named after the astronomer Edwin Hubble, and is one of NASA's Great Observatories, along with the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope.

With a 2.4-meter (7.9 ft) mirror, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared spectra. Hubble's orbit outside the distortion of Earth's atmosphere allows it to take extremely high-resolution images, with substantially lower background light than ground-based telescopes. Hubble has recorded some of the most detailed visible light images ever, allowing a deep view into space and time. Many Hubble observations have led to breakthroughs in astrophysics, such as accurately determining the rate of expansion of the universe.

USAF X-37B Spaceplane

Designation: OTV 5 (USA 277)

Length: 8.92 m

Perigee: 404 km

NORAD ID: 42932

Wingspan: 4.55 m

Apogee: 417 km

Category: Classified (Military Use)

Mass: 4990 kg

Inclination: 43°

Period: 92.7 minutes

Launch Date: 7 Sep 2017 14:00

Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center, United States

OTV 5 (USA 277) is the US Air Force's X-37B spaceplane, a reusable robotic mini-shuttle that can stay aloft for years with clandestine on-board experiments. Built by Boeing's Phantom Works division and managed by the Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office, each spaceship has a wingspan of nearly 15 feet (4.5 meters) and a length of more than 29 feet (8.9 meters). The ship's wings fit snugly inside the 17-foot-diameter (5-meter) payload shrouds on the Falcon 9 and Atlas 5 rockets. The X-37B, also called the Orbital Test Vehicle, weighs about 11,000 pounds (5 metric tons) and has typically orbited Earth at altitudes between 200 and 250 miles (320 to 400 kilometers).

No details about the X-37B's altitude or orbital parameters were released for this mission, but safety notices published for pilots and mariners ahead of the launch suggested the rocket would place the miniature windowless space shuttle into an orbit tilted between roughly 40 and 65 degrees to the equator. The Air Force announced before the launch that the fifth X-37B flight, known as OTV-5, would go into a higher-inclination orbit than earlier X-37B flights. The four X-37B missions to date flew in orbits tilted between 38 and 43.5 degrees to the equator, but the this one will reach higher latitudes on each lap around Earth.

Tiangong-2

Designation: Tiangong-2

Length: 10.4 m

Perigee: 229.7 km

NORAD ID: 41765

Width: 3.35 m

Apogee: 378.4 km

Category: Space Laboratory Module

Mass: 8,600 kg

Inclination: 42.8°

Period: 92 minutes

Launch Date: 15 Sep 2016 14:04

Launch Site: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China

Tiangong-2 (translation: "Celestial Palace 2") is a Chinese space laboratory and part of the Project 921-2 space station program. Tiangong-2 is neither designed nor planned to be a permanent orbital station; rather, it is intended as a testbed for technologies that will be used in the Chinese large modular space station, which is planned for launch between 2019 and 2022.

Tiangong 2's main objective is to verify key technologies including cargo transportation, on-orbit propellant resupply, and medium-term stay of astronauts, as well as conducting space science and application experiments on a relatively large scale.

Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 2

Designation: Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 2

Length: Unknown

Perigee: 467.6 km

NORAD ID: 39026

Width: Unknown

Apogee: 519.4 km

Category: Observation Satellite

Mass: 100 kg

Inclination: 97.2°

Period: 94.3 minutes

Launch Date: 12 December 2012 00:49

Launch Site: Sohae Satellite Launching Station, North Korea

Kwangmyongsong 3 is a North Korean Earth observation satellite, which according to the DPRK is designed for weather forecast purposes, and whose launch is widely portrayed in the West to be a veiled ballistic missile test.

Several days after its launch, Western sources stated that, while the satellite had initially achieved orbit, it now seemed to be tumbling, and was probably out of control.

Envisat

Designation: Envisat

Length: 26 m

Perigee: 771.8 km

NORAD ID: 27386

Width: 10 m

Apogee: 773.3 km

Category: Environmental Satellite

Mass: 8,211 kg

Inclination: 98.2°

Period: 100.1 minutes

Launch Date: 1 March 2001 01:07

Launch Site: Centre Spatial Guyanais, French Guiana

The Envisat (Environmental Satellite) satellite is an Earth-observing satellite built by the European Space Agency. It was launched on March 1, 2002 aboard an Ariane 5 into a Sun synchronous polar orbit at a height of 790 km (±10 km). It orbits the Earth in about 101 minutes with a repeat cycle of 35 days. Envisat carries an array of nine Earth-observation instruments that gather information about the earth (land, water, ice, and atmosphere) using a variety of measurement principles.